So, 2011 is here. And this is the one: the year you're going to get to grips with that skill, sport, language, makeover, or whatever it is that you've been promising yourself for ages. No more excuses. This is the year. The trick is to treat it as a holiday.

I approached a weekend course on orienteering, which involved staying in a youth hostel, with reluctance. How wrong I was. Learning to use a compass, with pubs as destination points, gave a whole new perspective to map-reading. I've spent weekends variously learning picture-framing and needlepoint, and discovered a practical side I never thought I had. I have also befriended strangers who quickly became warm, hilariously self-deprecating companions.

Here is a pick of 10 holidays – from weekends to a week – which offer the chance to learn something new and come back refreshed, proud – and wondering why it took so long to get around to it.

Want to dip your toe in the water, but not sure about full-body, surf-dude immersion? This is for you. Surfing sessions are interspersed with yoga and Pilates, giving you the chance to recover and improved balance, which might help you stay upright in the first place. Days kick off and end with yoga or Pilates (all levels catered for) with surfing lessons on three days; enough for beginners to be riding waves by the end. The setting is the wide, sandy Corralejo beach in the north of the island, facing Atlantic surf breakers. Bungalows are simple in style and self-catering but most people "pal up" to eat in one of the numerous surfing joints in Corralejo.

2. Singing

Abruzzo, Italy

Can't sing? You'll find you can if you join Faith Watson, who can coax tuneful voices out of the most determinedly singing-shy. Doubtless the wholesome air of this untouristy village, Barrea, in Italy's Apennine mountains, helps – as does the "Natural Voice" approach to traditional or folk songs. The approach, aimed at all levels, relies on listening and copying, with lessons taking place in the hotel, by the lake, in the church, or wherever takes your fancy. Afternoons are free for walks or pootling around the lake before a sing-for-your-supper session. After dinner, your guide, Stefano, might take you to the woods to howl at the wolves. For more structured singing, book the choral week. Homely accommodation where owner Carmelo is given to impromptu karaoke sessions in the bar.

3. Photography

Marrakesh, Morocco

Are your photographs flat and lifeless, despite fantastic original material? Clearly you need to find your "photographic voice". Spend five days soaking up the colours, sights and sounds of Marrakesh and your pictures will speak volumes. After daily one-hour workshops (perhaps looking at composition or shutter speeds) the young, endlessly encouraging tutors (professional photographers) lead you around the city with experienced eyes to help you select, reveal and capture. With one-on-one sessions, local guide Ahmed to show you the inside track – communal bakeries, the dyers' quarter – plus a luxurious riad in the Old Town to retreat to (lunches in the courtyard, afternoons in the hammam, evening drinks on the roof terrace), you'll soon unzip that creative side.

4. Painting

Andalusia, Spain

Wide landscapes, drenching colours and big skies; what more do you need to leap for a paintbrush? Add perennial sunshine, no distractions and a modern eco-lodge and you'll be hanging loose and cutting creative. Artist Simon Beckmann and his wife, Donna, converted five farmhouses in Andalusia's remote Parque Natural Sierra María-Los Vélez into a light-filled home and studio; chic, slick and "green": solar power, harvested rainwater, wood-burning stoves. Tuition is tailored, with short lessons followed by days exploring the countryside: shepherds' paths, dry river beds, rustic ruins or, if spring, almond blossom. Return to drinks, discussions and Donna's cooking.

5. Speak French

Charente, France

If you're to learn French, why settle for less than a château? In the gentle Charente countryside near Bordeaux, l'Age Baston is handsomely 17th century with a panelled "grand salon", tapestry-hung dining room, library, 20-odd acres and an air of gentility. It is owned by an English couple, but you will be taught by native French tutors. Lessons are followed by long lunches and optional afternoon trips to markets, Cognac producers and Romanesque churches with much encouragement to parlez Francais. Much of the produce for the four-course dinners comes from the château's potager. Walking and painting courses are also offered.

6. Cooking

Ashburton, Devon

Irritated by your sister-in-law's perfect profiteroles or best friend's flawless fishcakes? No more. After a weekend's "Express Dinner Parties Plus", you'll be turning out stunning meals without turning a hair. Taught by ex-restaurant head chefs, you'll pick up professional tips – how to prepare vegetables days ahead, speedy knife skills, presentation tricks – as well as work through several menus, complete with canapés and amuse bouches. Typical dishes include caramelised scallops, wasabi mash and pink-roasted duck salad. Small groups keep the atmosphere intimate and fun. And you get to eat rather well.

7. Salsa dancing

Havana, Cuba

If Ann Widdecombe can shimmy on the dance floor, there are twinkle-toes in all of us. The easiest of the steamier dances is salsa, and where better to learn it than in its birthplace – the music-filled streets of Havana. A sense of rhythm, plus a bit of energy are all you need; Cuban dance partners are provided. Morning lessons, in groups graded by ability, will get you to grips with spot turns and sombreros before you hit the dance halls for matinee sessions. These are popular with locals, who are likely to ask you for a dance. Or you can opt to explore the city before gearing up for the evening live-music salsa clubs. Stay in the five-star Hotel Nacional or in a "Casa" with a local family.

8. Archaeology

York

We can't promise that you'll uncover a Roman helmet or develop Indiana Jones's moody good looks, but you will unearth up to 2,000-year-old bones, pottery and tiles aplenty. York's Hungate dig is the city's largest excavation and probably the last opportunity to discover evidence about its past – Roman, Viking, medieval and Victorian – on such a scale. Highlights include a Roman cemetery, medieval rubbish tips and Victorian communal loo. After a day's induction you'll be let loose with trowel and brush, and learn how to record and "wash" finds, under the guidance of professional archaeologists. Evenings include talks, tours, pub visits and barbecues. Easter and summer, with self-catering accommodation at York University for the latter.

9. Volunteering

Belize, Central America

A castaway island, scuba-diving lessons and the chance to "put something back"? Unbelievable but true. Based on a spit of a Caribbean island in the Sapodilla Cayes, you help Reef Conservation International (www.reefci.com) monitor and protect the Belizean barrier reef, the world's second biggest. Tasks could include counting lobsters, tagging conches or surveying the reef amid a wonderland of turtles, groupers, dolphins and rays. Simple cabana accommodation, no electricity, rainwater showers, but who cares when you round off the day with barbecued lobster and coconut rum cocktails?

Responsible Travel: 01273 600030; www.responsibletravel.com From £650, four nights, full board, dive training and equipment. Fly to Belize City with airlines including American Airlines and British Airways. Internal transfer to Punta Gorda, around £148 return. Mainland accommodation in Punta Gorda from around £32 per night.

10. Upholstery

Bassenthwaite, Cumbria

If you want to destress and detox, forget spas and boot camps and take up an old-fashioned craft. You'll get to flex muscles plus have something lasting to show for it. Higham Hall, a neo-Gothic mansion above Bassenthwaite in the Lake District, offers courses ringing with old-fashioned workmanship such as bookbinding, woodblock printing and papermaking. Book the upholstery weekend for a real workout. Bring a chair, stool, even a sofa and soon you'll be stripping, springing, stuffing and hammering under the kindly eye of a time-served practitioner. Take a breather by the lake, tuck into excellent home-cooked food and enjoy a well-earned nightcap in the bar. You and your furniture will go away rejuvenated.